(Steven Hayward) The number of people in the world who can be said in "energy poverty," that is, with little or no modern energy available, is around 3 billion. About 1.5 billion people, according to some estimates, have no electricity at all, and most of the three billion rely on extremely low-tech or non-tech sources of energy for basic needs of cooking and warmth, meaning they burn, wood, straw, or dried animal

Parking tickets actually earn cities less money than when people pay the meters like they should. The problem is that even new meters that let you pay by phone or credit are such a hassle that people don't use them and hope they don't get caught. But Y Combinator startup Meter Feeder has built a way to pay for parking that easier for citizens, cheaper for cities, and works with… Read More

Mitt Romney writes in Facebook post he will vote for Sen. Ted Cruz in Utah's Republican presidential caucuses on March 22. "The only path that remains to nominate a Republican rather than Mr. Trump is to have an open convention" Says Cruz's success in many remaining nominating contest is only way to reach open convention Vote for Ohio Gov. John Kasich in future contests makes it extremely likely "Trumpism" would prevail,'' he says "I like Governor John Kasich, I have campaigned with him" Says he

A bipartisan coalition of 30 senators is calling on top appropriators to fully fund several joint U.S.-Israeli missile defense systems that help protect the Jewish state from terrorist rocket attacks, according to a letter sent by the lawmakers to the Senate's Appropriations Defense Subcommittee and obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

From Hercules to Superman, humankind has always been fascinated by characters who defy the natural limits of the human body. Scientists haven't yet figured out how to give us flight, but we know that increased cognition, strength and motor function are all possible using neurostimulation. This technology, which carefully applies magnetic or electrical energy to the brain, can make us… Read More

Hillary Clinton has been performing poorly among white males voting in the Democratic primaries and caucuses, the New York Times reports, stoking concerns within party circles about how this will undercut her chances in the general election. Even though Clinton won all 5 primaries on Tues., exit polls showed she lost the white-male vote in each to rival Bernie Sanders Trend is a reversal from 2008, when white men backed Clinton over President Obama Clinton has been appealing more to minorities t

Microsoft hired a bunch of women wearing very little clothing to dance and socialize with people at the company's official Game Developers Conference after-party last night in San Francisco, Business Insider reports. It's crazy that Microsoft would so blatantly sexualize women for a few reasons. For one, don't tech companies realize that it's not okay to do that anymore? Read More

(Paul Mirengoff) A group of rabbis is planning to boycott Donald Trump's speech to AIPAC next week. The proposed boycott has nothing to do with Trump's statement that, as president, he would be neutral as between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. One suspects that many of the irate rabbis have no objection to this approach, which (giving him the benefit of the doubt) has animated President Obama's Middle East policy. Rather, the

I've spent a lot of time over the past few days with the folks at Nike, who were showing off a whole bunch of new and upcoming products at their Innovation for Everybody event. The big attention-getter was the HyperAdapt 1.0 — namely, self-tying shoes. Nike had already toyed with the idea of emulating Back To The Future Part II by announcing limited edition, self-lacing Nike Mags… Read More

Democratic presidential contenders Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders learned of President Obama nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court "from news reports" White House spokesman Josh Earnst says. "My understanding is that we had obviously made a concerted effort to inform members" of Senate prior to announcement: Earnst

For those who struggle with their weight, one of the more challenging things to deal with beyond, of course, the lifestyle changes that have to accompany any attempts at weight reduction, is our inability to see our own progress. Because weight loss is often very slow and incremental, many get frustrated with a perceived lack of results and then give up. A new application called Progress wants… Read More

Microsoft and Lowe's today announced a pilot project that will bring Microsoft's HoloLens augmented reality visor to a select number of Lowe's home improvement stores. Using HoloLens, Lowe's plans to give shoppers the ability to see different design options for their kitchens, countertops, appliances, etc. without having to actually assemble them. Lowe's will… Read More

(Scott Johnson) A reader writes to comment on part 16 of this series. I think that his (lightly edited) message may advance the analysis for readers following the saga of the Clinton private email server used for her official business as Secretary of State: I am a retired Foreign Service Specialist who served as an Information Management Specialist. I worked on all Department communications systems. This whole thing with Hillary is proof

The American dream is no longer for sale — but it is for rent. We are slowly going through a subtle shift in how the economy is owned and operated, with massive implications. On an average day, you may wake up, shower, dress, drive to work and return home. But the way you do it is changing: Where once you would own the car, the house and the clothes, you now have the option to live life… Read More